Students

The application deadline for academic year 2024 – 2025 has expired.

The Fulbright Graduate Student Program offers grants for Latvians who intend to enter graduate degree programs (Master’s, Doctoral) at U.S. universities in any field except medicine but including public health. Grants are also available for the study abroad year during the PhD studies in Latvia.

Eligibility requirements for all applicants:

  • you must be a Latvian citizen. Dual citizens (United States and Latvia) are not eligible to apply for the Fulbright Fellowship from Latvia;
  • by the Summer of 2023 you must have obtained a Bachelor’s degree or have completed the first year of your Master’s program after a 3-year Bachelor’s program;
  • you must have clearly defined study goals and career objectives;
  • you must have an excellent academic record and a knowledge of English appropriate for studying in the United States;
  • preference will be given to candidates who have not already studied or lived more than six months in the United States;
  • preferred candidates will have to take the relevant admission tests required for U.S. university programs (TOEFL, GRE, GMAT). For successful candidates, test vouchers will be provided.
    • TOEFL – minimum of 79 to 80 IBT (550 PBT); recommended a 100 IBT (600 PBT) or above (In Law, a minimum of 600 is required);
    • GRE – required in most fields of study with the exception of MBA and Law programs;
    • Subject GRE – standardized test requirements will vary by field of study and institution;
    • GMAT – required for MBA and business-related programs.

Instructions for Completing the Fulbright Student Program Application:

Medical forms are not required with the application.

On-line application forms are available at: https://apply.iie.org/ffsp2024/

For testing information, please contact the Educational Advising and Testing Center at Riga Business School, Skolas Street 11, Riga.

The following must be sent by the program deadlines to the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy, 1 Samnera Velsa St., Riga:

  • official academic transcripts in Latvian and English
  • copies of diplomas in Latvian and translations in English
  • results of standardized tests (TOEFL, GRE, GMAT) if available
  • report on proficiency in English (PDF-53KB)
  • transcript release form (for post-secondary U.S. transcripts only), if applicable

Two-Year Home Residency Requirement

As a Fulbrighter, you will be participating in an exchange program that requires you to return home to share your experience. To fulfill this requirement, Fulbright Program Fellows must return to their home countries when their authorized academic exchange activities in the United States end. As a J-1 Exchange Visitor, United States law requires a two-year period of home residency before an individual applies for non-immigrant (H and L) visas as temporary workers, for permanent residency in the United States, or as immigrants. This requirement does not prevent you from reentry into the United States within the two-year period to attend conferences, tourism, or further study.

For further information regarding this program, please contact Ingrīda Bodniece at the U.S. Embassy’s Public Affairs Section at 6710 7209 or e-mail to: bodniecei@state.gov.